Fire-resisting curtain.



E, H. MGCLOUD.

. FIRE RESISTING CURTATN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1904. RLEEWED 50%'.26. 1905. 899,460. Pantd sept. 22, 190s.

? Qui IgM-' E. H. MCGLOUD. PIRE REslsTING CURTAIN.

APPLIGATEOS IILED JULY 2. 1904. RBHEWBD ROV. 16, 1905. 899,460, Patented Sept-22, 1908.

' 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. H. MGCLUUD.

FIRE RESISTING CURTAIN.

APPLlcuxoN Pimm JULY 2. 1904. Rnxnwrn Nov. 1s. 1905.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908,

5 SHEETSSHEIIT 3.

Evi hamaca E. H. MGGLOUD.

. HRB RESISTING CURTAIN.

unicum! Hman JULY 2, 1904. anxzwzn Nov. 1s. 1905.

Patented Sent. 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Witness@ Suunto@ a /j wwmzmzfczwd QM f, i atlolmoga I B. H. MGCLOUD.

PIRE B-ESISTING CURTAIN. Prmox'rml rum) JULY 2, 19o4. mnwnn Nov. 1s. 1.905.

Patented Sept. 22, 190s.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

l nk

Juventa EdwardHfloI/d witnesses UNTTED STATES PATENT onirica.

ED-YA RD Il. MCC-LOUDJ Ol CULLHBI'S, OHIO.

FIRE-RE SISTIN G CURTAIN.

Apylica'on filed July 2, 1904. Serial No. 215,124.

"uunlnw,A in the count;Y of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use i fulimprovements in Fire-liesistiug Curtains: and l do hereby declare the following to he :t lull, cle-ur, and exact description of the. invention, such :1&- o'ill enable others skilled in the art to whichit apport-eins to nuikc and use the suine.

The special ol-wt ol' this invention is to 1 provide a lire resisting curtain for theaters, auditortums and other buildingharing stages but it is not; confined in its use to Specification of I. `-ttcr atent.

Patent-ed. Sept;y 22, 1908.

neveu November 16, 1965. Serial do. 287,677.

5 2 Log. .ner e. their edges so :is to lic longitudii nally expinhililo when :uhjectcd to heat, f with respect to euch other. These. tuut-s, at the upper edge of the curtain are rivet-ed or l plexTbars l", each ucction lit-.ing made up of otherwise. secured in group to sectional dii-- l two angle liars having` heir l'uces placed t0 Y E ward each other against the units aa indit-:rted in Figa. 5 and .3, f uitnhlc blocks hcing nterposcd. il nccc -==irr to niche un eren surface. .ind euch il the duplex sectional T-V har.q is secured lay three bolts 1*I passed. through the horizontal lhmgcs of the T-har und .sccurwi to tht` top struty 2. The hole for ,ithc middle holt lg dan he rinde circular buildings. having stages. while the holtV for t-hc end bolt-Q are made The invention consists in an improvew construction of' the body 'of the curtain' proper and in the runners and Channels by: which the curtain is guided in raising and lowering it.. j

lu the accompanying '.lrawings, in which l have illustrated un emlioditnentJ of thc invention-Figure. 1 is a gcneral view iu elevation i looking at the stage side or rearside of ther-urtuin Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View ofthe prosccnium arch; 3 und 4 nrc general views in elevation illust-rating re iortivcltlto lux-:med und raiscdJposit-ions ol the curtain und of thcweights in the norznul opt-ration of the curtain; Fig. 5 is a view in elvvntionon a larger scale of fractions ofthe curtain proper showing more particularly details of construction; Fig. is a detail top View offthe .sections suspending the curtain to the top strut; Fig. is a vertical section on the lino .r-x Fig. 5:.l1`ig. 7 is a detail in elevation of fractions of the curtain 0n a still larger `scale. with the lire proolinv of the middle strut, re-

moved to show details of construction Fig. 8

is a vertical Section on the line s/--y Fig.

- excepting that tire roofing of the strut isreilaced; Fig: 9 is a orlizontal section o the ine 2 z Fig. A7; Fig. 0 illustrates the-cou struction at the lower edge of the cuftain;

Fig. ll is a detail illustrating the construction of the lower ends of the unit-s of which the mum body of the curtain is constructed;

Figs. 12 and 13 are vertical and horizontal views respectively, showing the devices 'whereby the units composing the curtain bodv proper are attached to the middle strut.

T e body properl of the curtain is made up preferably of vertically arranwed and longitudinally expansible units. ,these units are preferably in the Vfor'gji-ol slats 1 joined elongated (sec Fig. 5?) so that aid T-hars can expand toward their ends when subiiccted to lit-ar Tlie.sectioniil susending lT-hars are spaced t-o allow for their origini* l dinal expansion. Thetop strut; 2 is of am' appropriate construction, referably of beam form in cross-section, uilt up of angle asbestos, cement or other" materialirel'ractfory to lire to prevent warping of the metallic purt.s. .lf

The lower ends of the'tzurtain units ronate units bein# provided wit i vertical slots through which olts or pins ,1 d are paed to etfcct the connection between the said bar and the units constituting the curtain. The slots in the units ierntit them to expand when subjected to high heat und the grooved permitit to expand longitudinally.

To brace and stillen the curtain at its middle it is provided with a horizontally arranged center strut. 3. To tie the center' strut to the curtain I first secure, according 'to the plan pro osed in luy drawing, an angle cal flange of the bar I secure to the alter te curtain units. small flat vertical ieces 3l" mounted on 'clocks 3 ada ited to t ie unit-s, the vertical pieces and blocks 3" being se'- cured thereto hy rivets 3. These pieces 3" are slotted vertically while the angle bar 3* is slotted in its vertical {lange horizontally, and bolts are passed through t-hese slots to secure the bar to the pieces` 3" :md therefore to the curtain or perhaps more properly the curtain l to it.. The couler strut 3 is att ached to the l horizontal lluuge of the angle bar by means l of bolts 3 located at suitable intorvalxign iron and lacing pieces all suit-ably inclosed in ject into a channel bnr or stri 1", t-hc n ter- S bur is also provided with horizontal slots to,

bar 3. To ai 0rd proper seats for t-he verti- Ant.

serured to the upper ends of these rods, or :1t z points in the upper strut directly uhore them (ill the strut. This center strut is also inensed in fire proofing materiel to insure itsl rigidity when suhjecteil to lire. This center strut, as before intinmted, braces und stiliens the eurtnin and pre\'e"ts it from helljying?r und hurstitw open when subjected to :t draft of wind. h v rods IS* und suspending exi-bles :3, enn he so that the .strain of suspension ot the eurtziin will he more equally distributed in the eurtuin.

turtuins of the class referred to are usually raised :1nd lowered bodily in a vert-irai plane hehind the prosoeniuui urch und not rolled up und uuroile as with some varieties of tire t ein. "i'o etl'eetively sec-ure the curtain at' its edges und insure its sinootli,noiseless running' l provide nt. euch side. of the. proscenium -niner :i vertical tubular channel 4 having .d i: s, inner lside :t slit or opening;` 4'?, :md atsiwh to thel rertiezd edges, the curtain runner -tmode u i ot' u T-iron with wood-filled oornersy und o seniiwylindriealtorni, the wooden parts of the runner to stand adjacent, the inner sides of the tuhe so that sliding Contact. therewith shall not make much noise.

The fort-:iin is suspended for operation hy menus or' several enhles 5 running over pulleys These eahles 5 all run to and over n eolmnon pulley 5" the ends of the cables em-t :1in can he raised and lowered irordi- 'lo eil'eet the lowering of the curtain incase ot fire i provide un emergency weight 6 adopted to eounterhal nce or pnrtirdlv counterlmlzmee the main curtain counterhnlane ing weight', .3", suitable means being provided to release. the emergent: weight 6 so that the weight. of the. curtain shall largely preponderuve und nutonmtieully full to closed position. Suf-.h :i moons I shull claim Ain :in u pliwu ion for partent pending concurrent y iix-e.\itli.

l provide in addition to the euhhs 5,11lminS Il eonneeting; the curtain with fixed points :th-mtor the purpose of limiting; the descent. ot the eurtztin. The reason for doing this is thnt the .stri p nt the lower edge of the curtain is loose on the slotted lower ends ol' the units thereof und when the curtain is lowered these lunits should have room to ex and with respeet to the bottom strip. e chains 11, t, wret'ore, will preferably he made of such length that the hottom strip will touch and rest on the `floor, but the ends of the unit-swill he .supported slightly above the tloor.

Altar-het lhe strutsl .3 and I5 can he eonneeted a to the lower end of the weight 5,

fand running: over appropriate pulleys heneath the tioor to the opposite lower torners of the rurtuin #nu he two (tables for the purpose of holding the curtain to more trulv in lts rhftnnels und prevent it from hein,Lr tilted :md rought when raised or lowered.

The o aeration of the curtain can he readily j gathered from what has ulred-y heen said. hut to recfipitulate, the curtain in its normal operation is raised and lowered h 'wzoperating i the helt cziiile :3f preferably by turning the drum 5" whieh run he provided with a gearing and crank or any :i )propriete and well understood means for et eeting its rotation. ln Fig. 3 l have shown the parts in normal position when the Curtain is down, and in Fig. -l l have shown'the normal position of the sume ports when the curtain is up, und it will he ohserved that when the Curt-nin is raised and lowered in normal eireumstonees the cord l0 moves freely up and down through the perforated emergency weight G. 'hen a lire tzt-kes place on the stage :1nd the. eurtnin happens to be up it may he. promptly lowered hy detnehing the cord 8 from its lns toning thus` allowing the duplex lever to rise und release the emergency weight suspending-hooks thereby relieving the curtain of portion of the etieut of the main eounterhul- :turing weight and allowim,r the curtain to deseend hy gravity. lt', however, the tire is so located or so violent in its progress that the cord S is notsulely neeessxhle for lmnd operation the elect-rio circuit will efl'cet the automatic release, thereof.

What I claim und desire to secure hy Letters Patentis:

l. In a curtain "or theaters and the like, the bodv thereof composed of slats extending vertically lengthwise, and means for eonneet ing the slats to permit longitudinal expanl.sion thereof independent@ of euch other.

2. In u. curtain for theaters and the like, the hodv thereof Composed of slots extendingl vertically lengthwise, and means for eon neeting: the slots wl-ierehy they :rre held ut their upper ends and free. to expand independently of ezu'h other :it their lower ends.

3. ln 9. rurtuin for theaters und the like, the hotly thereof roniposed ol' lengthwise 4. ln a curtain for theaters und the likev the combination with the hotly thereof romposed of lengthwise vertieullv extemling sltts expansihle.independently of eut-h other, of s. transverse bracing strut, and means for Connesting the strut und slats to permit the longitudinal expansion of the latter.

5. In a curtain for theaters and the like, the. combination with the hotly thereof coinposed of lengthwise verticullv extendin, P slats expnnsihle independently of euch other,'of a transverse hmemg strut, and means for fonneeting the strut and slats to permit the exvertienlly ext-ending: sluts connected hy lslidt-rzn'vl.

S. ln :1 vux'tam fur thvntvrs :md thv likv,

thv cnmhinutitm with u Curtain hmty vmn- "DIY- t 

